Unfortunately those who advocate for animal welfare or animal rights are
often seen as being anti-human. Of course this is not really logical nor are
those who advocate for protectionism of non-humans necessarily anti-human. I
think it stems from a bit of insecurity on the part of meat eaters and from a
feeling that to advocate for the protection of animals is to infringe on the
rights of humans to do as they please. In some fashion it might be similar to a
situation where wealthy people might feel threatened when you argue for
increased care and protection for poor people. It's seems characteristic of
humans that we find it hard to either feel or show compassion towards those in
positions of power and privilege. There's no doubt that it's hard to express
unconditional love towards meat eaters because in relation to animals they *are*
in positions of power and privilege. In this context, and as many people on this
List have pointed out in the past, I think one approach that
works quite well is to focus on one's own feelings, experiences and thoughts
towards animal welfare such as "I feel that vegetarianism is the best option for
me because it is consistent with my understanding of a God who calls us to be
compassionate to all God's creatures."